Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs move on after Kawhi Leonard news

After revealing earlier this week he would be surprised if Kawhi Leonard plays again this season, coach Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs are doing what they tend to do best: move on to the next thing.

Leonard, a former Finals MVP winner and All-Star, has not played since Jan. 13 and has appeared in just nine games this season. Despite Leonard's absence, the Spurs are 35-24 and currently hold the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference with 23 games left in the regular season.

As the Spurs visit the Denver Nuggets Saturday (AEDT), Popovich spoke to the media this morning and said neither he nor the team can linger on the news about Leonard.

"This is the last 23 games of the season. It doesn't do any good to be wishing and hoping that somebody is going to be added that saves the day. That's all silly stuff," Popovich said. "These guys have gotta go play for themselves and do what they do."

There is some good news on the horizon for the Spurs tonight, though. Veteran Manu Ginobili is expected to suit up and play after being out of the lineup since Feb. 13 with a foot injury. He took some time off during the All-Star break to rest the injury and told reporters yesterday he is feeling much better, writes David Flores of KENS5.com:

"I was pretty worried when It happened because I've never felt anything like that in the bottom of my foot," Ginobili said after Thursday's workout. "Every time I was putting weight on it, it felt like a pinch. So, I stopped. We went to the X-ray and everything was fine, so it was just a matter of resting a little bit and it was fine again."

As it turned out, a few days vacationing in Costa Rica with his wife and three sons was just what the doctored order.

After Friday's (AEDT) practice in San Antonio, Ginobili told the San Antonio Express-News that the team is gearing up for life this season without Leonard:

"We know know who we are, and it's not like, 'Is he coming back next week?' " Ginobili said after practice. "At this point of the season, there is only twenty games left, so we've got to face the rest of the season as if he isn't coming back."